Urgent: Stop The Growing Crackdown on Students Protesting Genocide

Like a majority of people in the U.S., students want an end to the horror in Gaza. In recent weeks, we have seen an uptick in new crackdowns on students protesting genocide at U.S. universities and campuses.

School administrators are repressing student activism in these 3 ways:

  1. Arresting students for protesting.
  2. Instituting policies that shut down pro-Palestine student activism.
  3. Creating a hostile environment for pro-Palestinian students, faculty, and staff.
Universities and colleges must stop punishing and trying to silence students speaking out against genocide.
This is what we have seen in just the last several weeks:
  • Emory University, George Washington University (GWU), UCLA, University of Texas at Austin: Named by CAIR as consistently using “draconian measures to silence anti-genocide and pro-Palestinian voices.”¹
  • Columbia University: Began the first day of fall classes by having the NYPD violently arrest student protesters picketing for divestment.²
  • New York University (NYU): Unrolled new student conduct policies that could prohibit criticism of Zionism; specifically named by CAIR as an “institution of concern” for their consistent suppression of pro-Palestinian voices.³
  • Northwestern University: Named by CAIR as being “of particular concern” for “creating a hostile environment for pro-Palestinian students, faculty, and staff.”⁴
  • Pomona College: Currently under investigation by the US Department of Education for charges of anti-Palestinian racism.⁵
  • The University of California and Cal State systems: Moved to limit student protests across 33 different campuses.⁶
  • University of Chicago (UChicago): Recently had a federal civil rights complaint filed on charges of anti-Palestinian racism and restricting student protests.⁷
  • University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder): Called the US Department of Homeland Security on students.⁸
  • University of Maryland: Enacted a blanket ban on non-university-sponsored events on campus to stop a vigil event.⁹
  • University of Michigan: Multiple people arrested and hospitalized after police violence at a demonstration.¹⁰
  • University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison): Currently bringing disciplinary charges against students organizing protests.¹¹

Students have played a pivotal role in changing the course of history, helping bring an end to the Vietnam War, South Africa's apartheid, and so much else.

And once again, students are making history.

Take action with us. Email 25 university presidents and chancellors responding to nonviolent dissent with punishment and violence.

Thank you so much.

Sources: